![Dahl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Dahl._Waagstein%2C_Djurhuus_1900.jpg)
Jens Hendrik Oliver Djurhuus, called Janus Djurhuus, (26 February 1881,
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
– 1 September 1948, Tórshavn) was the first modern
Faroese poet. He and his younger brother
Hans Andreas Djurhuus
Hans Andrias Djurhuus (20 October 1883 – 6 May 1951) was a Faroese poet and teacher. Hans Andrias Djurhuus was one of the most productive Faroese poets. He is well known for his national poems and for his children's songs, but he also wrote psal ...
, also a poet, are called the ''Áarstova'' brothers after the house where they grew up.
Life and work
Djurhuus's parents were Óla Jákup Djurhuus (1832–1909) and Else Marie ''née'' Poulsen, from
Hósvík
Hósvík ( da, Thorsvig) is a village in the Faroe Islands. It has a population of 335 and is located on a bay on Streymoy's east-coast.
The ferry to Selatrað on Eysturoy island used to go from Hósvík, but was superseded by the Streymin Brid ...
(1847–1897). He was a great-grandson of
Jens Christian Djurhuus Jens Christian Djurhuus or Sjóvarbóndin (August 21, 1773 – November 21, 1853) was the first poet who wrote in Faroese. He composed several Faroese ballads in traditional style on historical themes. The best known is ''Ormurin langi''. Djurhuu ...
.
Djurhuus said that his "poetic baptism" came in school, when he heard
Jákup Dahl
Jákup Dahl (English and German ''Jacob Dahl'') (5 June 1878 – 5 June 1944) was a Faroese Provost and Bible translator. In 1908 he became known as a linguist with the first Faroese grammar lessons for school students.
Life and work
Dahl w ...
(later a
provost and
Bible translator
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. all of the Bible has been translated into 724 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,617 languages, and ...
and author of the first school grammar of the Faroese language) declaim
Jóannes Patursson
Jóannes Patursson (May 6, 1866 – August 2, 1946) was a Faroese nationalist leader and poet. He served as a member of the Parliament of Denmark and the Parliament of the Faroe Islands.
Background
Jóannes was born in 1866 as the eldest s ...
's ''Nú er tann stundin komin til handa'' (Now is the hour come for acting), the anthem of the
Christmas Meeting of 1888
The Christmas Meeting of 1888Benati, Chiara. 2009. Faroese: A National Language under Siege? In: Susanna Pertot et al. (eds.), ''Rights, Promotion and Integration Issues for Minority Languages in Europe'', pp. 189–196. Basingstoke: Palgrave M ...
which began the rise of Faroese nationalism.
[John Frederick West, ''Faroe: The Emergence of a Nation'', London: Hurst, 1972, ]
p. 235
Djurhuus trained as a lawyer. After passing the preliminary examinations in 1897, he went to Denmark for university preparation, first in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
and then in
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
. He passed the qualifying examinations in 1900, graduated with the ''
cand. jur.'' degree in 1911, and then practised in Copenhagen until the late 1930s, when he returned to the Faroes to practise there. However, he kept in touch with his homeland through students.
[
His first published poem was "Blíð er summarnátt á Føroya landi", in 1901. In 1914 he published ''Yrkingar'' (Poems), the first collection of a single poet's work published in Faroese.][Sven H. Rossel, tr. Anne C. Ulmer, ''A History of Scandinavian Literature, 1870–1930'', Nordic series 5, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1982, , p. 222.][Martin Næs, ''Færøsk Litteratur: Udvikling og Vilkår'', Studier fra Danmarks Biblioteksskole 42, Copenhagen: Danmarks Biblioteksskole, 1981, ]
p. 16
He published four further collections of poems.
Djurhuus had also studied classical philology
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, and also published accomplished Faroese translations of Ancient Greek and Latin works, including some of Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
's Dialogues and poetry by Sappho
Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...
, and (posthumously) a poetic translation of the ''Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...
''. (He also published translations of poetic works by Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
, Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
, Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...
and Gustaf Fröding
Gustaf Fröding (; 22 August 1860 – 8 February 1911) was a Swedish poet and writer, born in Alster outside Karlstad in Värmland. The family moved to Kristinehamn in the year 1867. He later studied at Uppsala University and worked as a journali ...
).[West, p. 236.] There is a story that on one occasion when a Greek steamer called at Tórshavn, he went on board and sent a cabin boy for the captain. On his arrival, he began to recite the ''Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...
'' in Ancient Greek. The astonished captain joined in.[
His poetry combines Classical and ]Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
.[W. Glyn Jones, "Faroese Literature", ''Dictionary of Scandinavian Literature'', ed. Virpi Zuck, Niels Ingwersen and Harald S. Naess, New York: Greenwood, 1990, , pp. 159–61, p. 159.] The language of his poems draws on both modern Faroese and the language of the traditional ballads, as well as ancient and modern poetry in other Scandinavian languages; their rhythm is also influenced by ancient Greek and modern German poetry.
Literary reputation
Djurhuus's poetry represented the breakthrough into modern literature in Faroese.[ His poetry has been judged "among the best" of modern Scandinavian writing,][ "splendid . . . of great vision and musicality" and some consider him the greatest Faroese poet,][ "the first Faroese writer of genius",][ "without a doubt a great poet".][''Scripta Islandica'' 45–49 (1995]
p. 58
He was a national romantic, but his works show what has been described as poetic idealisation and love of his homeland conflicting with "something of a revulsion from tsreality"[ and as "doubt and pessimism, a result of the clash between ispowerful, pathetic dream of beauty and petty, miserable reality".][ "Útlegd" (Exile—referring to his many years in Denmark) is an example of this pessimism.][
]
Selected works
Poetry
* ''Yrkingar''. Copenhagen: Hitt Føroyska Studentafelagið, 1914. Rev. ed. 1923.
* ''Nyggjar Yrkingar''. Copenhagen: Hitt Føroyska Studentafelagið, 1938.
* ''Carmina''. Tórshavn: H.N. Jacobsen, 1941.
* ''Moriendo''. Tórshavn: Norrøna forlagið, 1944.
* ''Yrkingar 1898-1948''. Ed. Christian Matras. Copenhagen: Mentunargrunnur Studentafelagsins, 1988. (Collected edition)
Translations
* Plato. ''Symposion—Gorgias''. Copenhagen: Føroyingafelag, 1938.
* Homer. ''Ilionskvæði''. Tórshavn, 1967.
Honours
On 20 September 2004, the Faroese post office honoured Djurhuus with a block of ten stamps, designed by Anker Eli Petersen
Anker Eli Petersen (born 7 June 1959 in Tvøroyri) is a Faroese writer and artist.
He is most known for his many Faroe Islands postage stamp designs under the name Anker Eli. Many of his stamps depict scenes from Norse mythology, Christianity, ...
, depicting ten of his poems.["Janus Djurhuus—Yrkingar", FO 493–502]
Faroese Stamps 1975 – 2006
, p. 27 (pdf) It was chosen as the popular favourite amongst their stamp issues for the year.
File:Faroe stamp 493 Djurhuus poems - atlantis.jpg, "Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
"
File:Faroe stamp 494 Djurhuus poems - grimur kamban.jpg, "Grímur Kamban
Grímr Kamban was, according to the ''Færeyinga saga'', the first Norse settler in the Faroe Islands. The modern Faroese form of the name is ''Grímur'', but it was ''Grímr'' in Old Norse and is often anglicised as ''Grim''.
Settlement of the ...
"
File:Faroe stamp 495 Djurhuus poems - tronds chanting.jpg, "Gandkvæði Tróndar" (Curse of Tróndur í Gøtu
Tróndur í Gøtu ( Icelandic: Þrándur í Götu, Old Norse Þrǫ́ndr í Gǫtu) (c. 945 – 1035) was a Viking era chieftain from the Faroe Islands.
Biography
Tróndur í Gøtu lived at his father's home in the village of Gøta on the isl ...
)
File:Faroe stamp 496 Djurhuus poems - to the faroes I-III.jpg, "Til Føroya I–III" (To the Faroes I–III)
File:Faroe stamp 497 Djurhuus poems - min sorg.jpg, "Mín Sorg" (My Sorrow)
File:Faroe stamp 498 Djurhuus poems - Loki Laufey's Son.jpg, "Loki
Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...
"
File:Faroe stamp 499 Djurhuus poems - Songbird and Gossip.jpg, "I búri" and "Slatur" ("Songbird" and "Gossip")
File:Faroe stamp 500 Djurhuus poems - The Return of Nolsoyar Pall.jpg, "Heimferð Nólsoyar Páls" ("Return of Nólsoyar Páll
Nólsoyar Páll (originally, Poul Poulsen Nolsøe) (11 October 1766 – 1808 or 1809) is a Faroese national hero. He was a seaman, trader, poet, farmer and boat builder who tried to develop direct trade between the Faroes and the rest of Eu ...
")
File:Faroe stamp 501 Djurhuus poems - Moses on Sinai Maountain.jpg, "Móses á Sinai fjalli" (Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
on Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai ( he , הר סיני ''Har Sinai''; Aramaic: ܛܘܪܐ ܕܣܝܢܝ ''Ṭūrāʾ Dsyny''), traditionally known as Jabal Musa ( ar, جَبَل مُوسَىٰ, translation: Mount Moses), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is ...
")
File:Faroe stamp 502 Djurhuus poems - Cello.jpg, "Cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
"
References
Sources
* Chr. Holm Isaksen. ''Føroyskur skaldskapur í 19. øld: Páll Nólsoy; Jóannes Paturrson; J. H. O. Djurhuus''. Bókmentagreinir 1. Tórshavn: Fannir, 1981.
* Hanus Andreassen. ''J.H.O. Djurhuus: ein bókmentalig ævisøga''. Volume 1 ''1881 – 1904'', Volume 2 ''1904 – 1929'', Volume 3 ''1929 – 1948''. Tórshavn: Mentunargrunnur Studentafelagsins, 1994–97.
* Hanus Kamban
Hanus Kamban (born 25 June 1942 in Saltangará, Faroe Islands) is a Faroese short story writer, essayist, biographer and poet. He was born Hanus Andreassen, but changed his last name to Kamban in 2000.
Kamban grew up on the small island of Skú ...
, tr. Kirsten Brix. ''J. H. O. Djurhuus: en litterær biografi'' Volume 1 ''1881 – 1922'', Volume 2 ''1922 – 1948''. Odense University studies in Scandinavian languages and literatures 46. Odense: Odense University, 2001, 2002. (translation of above)
External links
J.H.O. Djurhuus
at Rithøvundafelag Føroya (Writers' Association of the Faroes), 7 March 2007.
Janus
Faroeartstamps, Faroepost, 21 November 2005: the 2004 stamp sheet, with translations of many of the poems
{{DEFAULTSORT:Djurhuus, Janus
Faroese male poets
Faroese-language poets
1881 births
1941 deaths
20th-century Faroese poets
People from Tórshavn
20th-century Danish male writers